JUPITER, Fla. — Weather: 76 degrees, partly cloudy
Result: Cardinals 4, Astros 3
Playing left field, Tyler O’Neill had to adjust his eyes on Friday night as the Cardinals played under the lights for the first time this spring at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
While that was true as he played defense, O’Neill had no trouble seeing the ball he hit disappear over the right-field wall.
“The lights here obviously are not as good as the big league lights, especially the ones at Busch, but it’s good to get under them and get adjusted that way,” O’Neill said.
One of the changes this spring because of the health and safety protocols has the Cardinals playing eight of their 24 games at night. Friday night’s game was the third of the eight, with the first two coming last week in West Palm Beach.
“To be able to get into night games at spring training is excellent for us,” O’Neill said.
Manager Mike Shildt agreed, remembering previous springs when the Cardinals played no night games – and suddenly found themselves playing one in the first week of the regular season.
“I think there’s some advantages, like anything there are some plusses and minuses,” Shildt said. “I like the fact that it gets us ready for what the season looks like at the beginning of the year. I also appreciate the fact that the first time you are going to play a night game is not in the regular season. It’s just different for a lot of reasons, so from that aspect I do like it.”
Adam Wainwright has seen the same thing happen, and the problems that sometimes come up making the adjustments to playing at night.
“It’s hard to play all 1 o’clockers and for your body to be ready for a 7 p.m. game just out of nowhere,” Wainwright said. “It takes a couple of days usually to get used to that. It’s good to get a couple in at night to be sure.”
Here is how Friday night’s game broke down:
High: O’Neill’s home run was his second of the spring, a two-run shot in the fourth inning. Both of O’Neill’s homers have been opposite-field shots to right field.
Low: Paul DeJong was 0-of-3 and is just 2-of-14, both singles, so far this spring.
At the plate: Yadier Molina hit his first home run of the spring, also a two-run shot … Molina, who caught all nine innings, and O’Neill also each added a single, and O’Neill’s 2-of-3 night raised his spring average to .389 … Matt Carpenter was 0-of-2 with a walk, but both of the outs were on long flys to the outfield. He is now 0-of-15 this spring.
On the mound: Wainwright needed just 41 pitches to work four scoreless innings. He allowed only two baserunners, a one-out double by Jose Altuve in the first and a walk in the third, ahead of a double play. Wainwright, who had three strikeouts, has now allowed only two hits (both by Altuve) and one unearned run in nine innings this spring, covering three appearances … Tyler Webb and Ryan Helsley each allowed a solo home run … Andrew Miller gave up three hits and a run in his one inning of work … Protecting a 4-3 lead in the eighth, Giovanny Gallegos allowed the Astros to load the bases with nobody out but got out of the jam with a strikeout and a double play … Kodi Whitley earned the save, retiring the Astros in order in the ninth.
Worth noting: Miles Mikolas won’t throw again for seven to 10 days as the Cardinals hope the rest will improve the condition of his “creaky” right shoulder. Imaging did not reveal any structural issues, so the Cardinals are hoping that when he throws to hitters again, for the first time since Feb. 25, his shoulder will be improved. There is no timetable on when Mikolas might be able to pitch in a game … Non-roster outfielder Matt Szczur has missed the last week because of a sore quad but Shildt said he should be available to play either Sunday or Monday …. Jordan Hicks is likely to pitch in his next game on either Saturday night or Sunday.
Up next: Kwang Hyun Kim is the scheduled starter for Saturday night’s game against the Marlins, the Cardinals second consecutive night game.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
